As part of the brand’s rapid development, 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok, comprising 34 luxurious suites and 179 Residences on Sukhumvit Soi 39, will open in early 2017, setting new luxury benchmarks in one of Asia’s most dynamic cities. We talk with 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts COO Christopher E. Stafford about what this remarkable new hotel will offer busy business travellers headed to the Thai capital.
What will your new hotel brand 137 Pillars bring to the Bangkok business travel scene? 

We are positioning 137 Pillars Suites and Residences as the first all-suite luxury boutique product in the heart of Thonglor, the upscale residential and shopping district of Bangkok. We will offer a number of bespoke services to our leisure and corporate guests with a focus on personalised hospitality and on bringing back traditions lost in the internet age, including the personal shopper service, a Clefs D’Or concierge, an Asian golf pro, bespoke salon services, and the Leonowens Club for our influential members of society. We are creating an address with great parking and access to excellent F&B. Additionally we have recruited spa consultant Roger Moore to build an individual spa and wellness program to suit the client. Our focus is on bringing back the traditions of hospitality to a discerning and demanding traveller yet at the same time making time for our guests.

You have more than three decades’ experience in the international hospitality scene – what are the most distinctive changes you’ve seen to business travel and the way people travel for work?

Today’s traveller is focused on speed and convenience, including great access to their technology platforms, and staying very connected, yet they yearn for calm amid the storm and plethora of communication. Increasingly relaxation, meditation, and ways to unwind are distinctive changes in the market.

As a hotelier, what do you think are the most important aspects of a hotel for busy road warriors?

Warmth from our team, who are welcoming and yet not intrusive; and space for our customers to unwind and detach from the electronic highway, while remaining connected if they so wish.

The 137 Pillars Suites Bangkok will be a distinctly urban departure for the brand when it opens in 2017. How will it cater to busy business travellers looking to stray from the cookie cutter brands? 

Our design is centered on a suite that equates with a home insofar as each suite has a private dining room (no room service trolleys or housekeeping trolleys); a large terrace; a Floor Butler, maxi bar service with private wine cellars; and a separate guest bathroom, which enables suite guests to entertain and invite guests for meals. The business traveller will be provided with a hotel mobile phone during their stay, as well as fast track airport services for all guests. We will also provide our very unique vintage ‘President Classic’ transport so that our guests can access major points of interest in the city.

You’ve been based in Thailand for a number of years – what’s missing from the city? 

High-end entertainment in terms of quality shows, opera and classical theatre. We also need more Asian film exhibitions. There is an improving art collectors scene but Bangkok needs to refine and create space for a more intellectual level of entertainment to replace an obsession with branded shopping.

How important is a strong design ethos to today’s business travel hotels? 

Design has become very important in every sense; we view our guest design satisfaction in terms of what I call V-A-K-O-G, which translates as Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory. Everything we do will be measured to create the right balance of these senses throughout the hotel. To do this effectively we look closely at meeting a luxury standard for the senses, from sound transmission, in room scents by design, and colour combinations, to comfort levels for kinesthetic travellers, and the cultural specifics of our market. Hoteliers have to be more acutely aware of design in a flexible and fixed sense.

How important is the long-stay market for Bangkok and will the new property cater to executives looking to make Bangkok their home-away-from-home? 

Our area is a key center for long-stay clientele and we are focused on providing the best offer in the market for high end long stay travellers. We offer a specific Japanese hair salon and an Asian PGA golf coach in addition to our other bespoke services and we will have extensive communication support across the four key language groups, which for us are Japanese, Chinese, Thai and English.

Hotels around the world are returning their attention to their F&B and we’re seeing a renaissance of the hotel as a dining destination. What will 137 Pillars Bangkok Suites offer foodies?  

We have created the Bangkok Trading Post, a standalone F&B offering that is connected directly to the soi (street) with complimentary parking for Bangkokians and guests in the area. We see this as a connected space, with high speed internet capability to enable guests and residents to enjoy this beautiful restaurant as not only an eatery but also a co- working space.

In addition we will offer a high end 32-seat restaurant called Nimitr on the 26th floor with spectacular views to the city. Our restaurant will offer a farm-to-table breakfast with our Harvest Table and a la minute offerings.  We have our own espresso blends throughout the hotel, as well as Chai Dim teas for our Afternoon Tea sets, served on a beautiful terrace overlooking the skyline.

The Jack Bains Bar @ Soi 39 offers a great range of malts, blended and boutique whiskies in addition to a large selection of cocktails and cigars. Our wine wall covers two floors and will have one of the best collections in the area. We are also creating a loyalty system for all guests of the Bangkok Trading Post, and pricing will be competitive with other standalone offerings in the area.

http://137pillarshotels.com/hotels/bangkok/